The drive was initiated in 2017. Their mission was to nurture budding footballers and take them to international standards in the future. The drive was specifically launched across Rajasthan, the state where football was a back-bencher even a couple of years ago. 

It was a joint venture initiated by Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta. The partnership scouted boys from 64 districts around Udaipur and started with a center of excellence in all these districts. But Zinc couldn't continue with the venture due to Covid-19. 

So, the revival of the project came up in 2021 again. Hindustan Zinc, as a part of its CSR program, introduced a state-of-the-art residential center of excellence at Zawar, around 50 kilometers from Udaipur. Then in association with Vedanta, the company is also running another residential football school in Udaipur. 

The 40 youngsters from the age of under-15, under-17, and under-19 train here under 10 licensed coaches where the chief coach is a former Indian women's coach in the 2014 Asian Games, Tarun Roy. Noted physiotherapist Gagan Kapur who was with the men's national team is also associated with Vedanta-Zinc Football Academy. 

Significantly, having started their second innings in 2021, the academy boys had earned qualification to participate in the second division I-League in 2022-23. The team became champion in the Rajasthan Premier League while Rajasthan United finished as runners-up. 

Tarun Roy revealed, "Our under-19 team was scheduled to participate in the second division I-League. But the vaccination of our boys could not be completed before the commencement of the second division I-league. But this year, we have set focus to win the eight-team Rajasthan Premier League and ensure a berth in the second division I-league." 

Simultaneously, the mission of spreading and developing football in Rajasthan and the effort to produce footballers of the future has not stopped. Only within three years of its journey seven to eight footballers have earned a national call-up in the junior India preparatory camp. 

Goalkeeper Sahil Poonia who received the 'best goalkeeper' award in Under-17 SAFF Championship in Sri Lanka last year has continued consistency and ensured a berth in the national team that participated in the recently-held under-17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Thailand. Asish Malya and Haokip are two more promising under-17 boys who have been called up in the ongoing under-16 national preparatory camp at Srinagar. 

That is not all. In a bid to sharpen the training and skill of the academy's promising boys, Vedanta Zinc Football Academy is all set to make an association with Bolton Wanderers' FC which participates in the third tier of the English Premier League. 

The 64-year-old veteran coach revealed, "The discussion is in the final stage. We are expecting the tie-up to get materialize any time this year. The executive and the academy coach from Bolton FC recently visited our academy. They were highly impressed by the quality of our infrastructure and services. They have initially proposed for exchange of coaches where our coaches will be trained there and the club also wants to spot one or two quality youngsters, take them to Bolton for training and if they impress the coaches there then the respective boys might be signed also by the club."

Tarun Roy sounded optimistic about a few promising boys like Biswajit Marandi, and Mohammed Aman who are to be watched this season.